The Sounds of Silence

Remember how I used to complain about my loud neighbors? I don't have that problem any more.

Last weekend (my God, was it last weekend already?), Mark had come to visit, and we were having drinks in the Catz bar. I can clearly remember commenting to him, "I am fairly certain that everyone in Catz is drunk tonight." The noise was unbelievable. Everyone was rowdy and celebrating. For the grad students, it was the night of the last guest dinner of the year; for the undergrads, it was the last night before they packed up to go home.

Now that the full term is pretty much over, the college seems to have fallen silent. No matter when I leave my room, there is no noise. No one in the library. No one lounging around the quad. No one at the bar at night. No one even hanging out in the staircases--they've all packed up and gone home.

The undergraduates and visiting students are pretty much gone. Those who remain are the few grad students (lawyers in particular) who have exams and dissertations to finish or couldn't get flights home until now. These people can't really be bothered--they're busy working or packing.

The emptiness is really creepy. I guess I should appreciate it while I can, because in a few short days I'll be going back home to plenty of noise.

But honestly, I'd rather have the noise any day.